


Second First Date

by arborealstops



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25741501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops
Summary: prompts: things you said when you thought i was asleep + things you said when you were cryingfor rachel <3
Relationships: Luke Danes/Lorelai Gilmore
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Second First Date

**Author's Note:**

> i got four different prompt requests from rachel, and then ended up being actually able to not only make a character cry but also include it in the thing i was already writing for the sleeping one SO

It had been a very good second first date. Not as good as the actual first, by any means, but in Lorelai’s opinion, nothing could ever quite beat Luke’s revelation about the horoscope he’d held onto for eight years. 

Finding out that he’d held onto it through her marriage to Christopher pulled a pretty close second, though. 

It had been almost three weeks since their kiss at Rory’s farewell celebration. Lorelai had been so busy trying to figure out what to do with herself, and Luke had kept his distance the best he could. He was glad, though, when Lorelai showed up for her coffee the morning after Rory’s departure, eyes brighter than they’d been in months and her lips wearing a smile meant just for him. They’d flirted and bantered, the same way they had before everything, and suddenly it seemed like the town was brighter. Even Taylor seemed to smile more often- but then, maybe that was just a reflection of how Lorelai herself felt.

Admittedly, it had also taken so long after their kiss because Luke was nervous. He liked how things were, now- of course he wanted the real deal, but they’d only been comfortable around each other for a few weeks, and he didn’t want to rush into something only to mess it up. So he waited, and waited, until one day Rory called him out of the blue and told him that he’d better ask her mom out before he ended up losing her again. Just minutes later, he’d found himself on Lorelai’s porch, asking her to dinner. He hadn’t missed the flash of relief in her eyes when she consented, and he silently cursed himself. Of course he’d already managed to mess something up- but then, Lorelai’s lips landed on his, and he smiled, and suddenly he thought that maybe it hadn’t been so bad to wait.

Two days later, they were dressed up and back at Sniffy’s Tavern, arguing with Maisy and Buddy over whether or not champagne was really that important for a date. It was friendly, and comfortable- it was good, and Lorelai was happier than she’d been in over a year. It really was no surprise, then, when their second first date ended the same way their first first date had- Luke, curled around Lorelai, one arm wrapped around her bare chest, curling a lock of her hair around his finger as he felt her breathing slow against his chest. They laid in bed, both of them happier than either of them could remember being. 

Luke’s breathing had just slowed when Lorelai’s whispered voice broke the silence. He struggled to keep his breathing steady, unsure if she wanted to be heard or not as she whispered into the dark room.

“I promise you, I’ll get it right this time.” The words seemed to be coming from deep inside Lorelai, and Luke could tell that, although she was talking to him, she clearly didn’t realize he could hear. That was confirmed a moment later when she squeezed his hand, continuing to whisper. “I know you can’t hear me, and I’ll tell you again when we’re both awake, and not in bed, and somewhere where I know you can believe me. Sniffy’s again, maybe, or in the diner, or at home.”

Luke hoped she didn’t notice the little skip his heart did when she referred to the house as ‘home.’ Maybe she hadn’t meant anything more than that it was her home, but there was always a chance, no matter how small, that she might invite him to stay there again… He cut off his dreaming as Lorelai continued.

“But this time, I’m going to tell you. Everything. You’re going to get so sick of me talking, I’m sure.” Never. “But I’m going to tell you everything, like how much I’ve missed you, especially with Rory gone. Like how I want to do it all again, I want to get engaged and I want to talk about kids and I want to marry you. If I could get over my nerves, I’d have told you all of this tonight, instead of just saying it to an empty room.” She let out a wet chuckle, and Luke suddenly realized she was crying. Torn between comforting her and hearing what else she might have to say, Luke’s breath hitched, but Lorelai didn’t seem to notice.

“Of course, that’s perfect- I’m telling you that I’m going to tell you all of this stuff instead of actually telling it to you. Hey, I wonder if there’s a record for the number of times the word ‘telling’ has been used in a sentence. I bet I just beat it.” She took a shaky breath, clearly still crying. “Listen, the point is… I know this was my fault. I know I shouldn’t have run to Chris and I know I should have been more open and I know I’m not good at this but the point is-”

There, her voice finally cracked, and she let out a soft sob. Reflexively, Luke’s arm tightened around her, and she curled back into his embrace.

“The point is, I’m sorry, and I want to make it better. And I will, I promise I will, because the last year has been the worst of my life, and that’s counting the first sixteen that I spent living with my parents. And…”

She finally hesitated, and Luke held his breath as he waited for her to finish. “And sometime during this, I realized you weren’t asleep, and so this scares me a little more to say, because it’s a lot for a first date, even if it’s a second first date, but… I never really stopped loving you.”

This time, it was Lorelai holding her breath as she rolled over in Luke’s embrace. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find her studying his face, tears still spilling out of the corners of her eyes. Without even a second’s hesitation, he pulled her into his chest, cradling her against him as she cried.

“It’s not all your fault,” he murmured, gently stroking her hair. “Both of us have to be better at this.”

Pausing, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “And… I want all of that too. What was it you said before- you wanted a middle with me? I want that too, all of it- the wedding, the kids, the… painting bedrooms and listening to your pirate singers and whatever else comes with it. With you.”

He knew he’d never been as good at words as Lorelai was, but if the sobbing laughter coming from her was any indication, he hadn’t done such a bad job explaining himself. Smiling softly, he pulled her as close as he could. “We’ll do better,” he promised, and she nodded against his chest.

And, when he was pretty sure she’d fallen asleep, he finally whispered the last thing he’d wanted to say. “And… I love you, too.”

He pretended not to notice that she immediately snuggled closer to him.


End file.
